Doom (VG)

Doom Offical Box Art Release Date: 1993 Developer: id Software Publisher: id Software Series: Doom Platforms: MS-DOS NeXTSTEP OS/2 IRIX Solaris Acorn RISC OS Microsoft Windows Mac OS Linux Atari Jaguar 3DO Interactive Multiplayer Sega 32X Sega Saturn Super Nintendo Entertainment System Game Boy Advance Nintendo Switch Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One PlayStation PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Raspberry Pi Pico Android iOS WebTV Genre: First-Person Shooter

This article is about the video game series and covers weapons appearing in the released titles Doom, Doom 2, The Ultimate Doom, Final Doom and Doom 64. For the 2005 live-action adaptation, see Doom.

Doom is a 1993 videogame released by id Software for DOS and later ported to many other systems. A spiritual successor to the earlier Wolfenstein 3D, Doom represented a radical technological leap forward, running on an advanced engine capable of producing non-orthagonal walls and pseudo-3D effects such as stairs and elevators.

The following weapons appear in the classic Doom video game franchise:

Overview

Doom was followed by a series of sequels/modifications using the same set of weapons; Doom 2 in 1994 was a major engine update and featured new monsters and a new weapon, the "Super Shotgun." This was followed by The Ultimate Doom in 1995, which was a simple expansion of the original title, and Final Doom, which contained a pair of new 32-level campaigns, in 1996. A Nintendo 64 exclusive (although it would later receive an official port in 2020 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC), Doom 64 was released in 1997 as the last entry in the original franchise, featuring an entirely new campaign, overhauled graphics, and both new and modified weapons and enemies.

Given that the majority of these titles feature the same graphics, and that the recent ones feature little in the way of identifiable guns in general, this article will cover firearms from what can be considered to be a part of the classic Doom library.

Doom used a process of photographic digitization to create most of the sprites used in the game; the monsters were created from latex, while the weapons were toy guns and cap-firing replicas bought from Toys "R" Us stores. In many ways, this would be similar to later games using photographs of either real or replica firearms to texture 3D modeled weapons. If the toy or replica is known, then that will be referenced. However, given the number of weapons in the Doom games that aren't even meant to be firearms, this page will for the most part layout only the weapons that are actually firearms in the Doom universe. For sci-fi weapons such as the Plasma Rifle or BFG9000, see the talk page for their associated information.

Weapons

Pistols

Beretta 92FS

The "Pistol" in the first three Doom titles is, as evident from the general shape of the top of the gun, a Beretta 92FS. According to game designer John Romero, the pistol was created from photographs of a bright orange water pistol that was modeled after a Beretta which was then painted black. The pistol is one of the weakest of the game's weapons, and isn't very useful after obtaining virtually any other weapon.

Beretta 92FS - 9x19mm

Doomguy (as he's usually referred too, although Doom II simply calls the character "Our Hero" or refers to him in the second-person) holds his Beretta 92FS in E1M1 "Hangar", hoping that the digitization process has turned the water pistol into a functioning firearm. Note the distinctly Beretta-esque front of the slide. Although it's hard to tell exactly what details were lost from the prop, the hammer appears to be molded onto the toy without much ado.

The Beretta in mid-recoil. Note that the barrel can be seen protruding past the slide here. It appears that the separation between the barrel and slide of the gun has largely been edited out, giving the top of the firearm a very smooth look.

The extent of the digitization is revealed in the handgun's full recoil graphic. The front of the gun still looks rather Beretta-ish, but many details have been washed away. As it happens, this frame, which removes the protruding barrel from the last one, is not actually in any of the final games as it was cut from the animation before release. The graphic, remaining in the game's files, can be restored with mods such as Smooth Doom, however.

Desert Eagle Mark I

Doom 64 swapped out the Beretta-styled pistol for what is most likely a Desert Eagle Mark I, judging from the shape of the hammer, rear sight, back of the slide, hammer, rear sight, and barrel contours. The sprite's low quality and the handgun's lack of a visible safety, however, makes it somewhat difficult to make a positive identification.

Magnum Research Desert Eagle Mark I - .357 Magnum

The Desert Eagle in Doom 64 is held at the ready. Note the distinctive shape and contours of the rear of the slide and the shape of the sights (although the notch in the rear sight has been filled for some reason) and angles on the barrel.

The barrel shape is clearer when the gun recoils. Neither the hammer nor the slide move throughout the entire animation.

Shotguns

Tootsie-Toy "Dakota"

One of the earliest available weapons in any Doom title is its famous pump-action shotgun. However, rather than being based on a real firearm design, the gun is made up of photographs of a Tootsie-Toy "Dakota" cap gun, a popular type of toy gun that was made from the 1980s to the 1990s and is not based on any particular real-world firearm. Doom 64 introduced new sprites for the shotgun, seemingly based on an entirely different gun. However, the exact model, if it is indeed based on anything specific, isn't very clear from the sprites themselves. Unfortunately, due to spatial limitations with the Nintendo 64's game cartridges, the shotgun does not feature a pump animation, leaving the player with no profile view of the weapon. The pickup sprite for the gun, however, still seems to resemble the "Dakota" cap gun.

Tootsie-Toy Dakota cap shotgun.

Doomguy holds his Dakota cap gun at the ready, certainly pleased that it's capable of firing buckshot instead of cap smoke. As it happens, a bit more of the gun graphics can be seen when the player HUD is removed, although, without removing it, this how the gun appears with the game in its standard field of view.

After firing a round, Doom Guy brings the weapon up to pump it. Note the end of the barrel, which gives it away as a Dakota cap gun. In the game's early Alpha, more of the front sight was visible on the graphic, but for the final release it was shortened. Whether or not the orange tip of the gun was spray painted before being photographed or if was colored black digitally is unknown.

Doomguy pumps the action fully in a different part of the same level.

The pickup sprite for the shotgun is very clearly not based on the "Dakota" cap gun and seems to have instead been drawn by hand. Note what appears to be a shorter tube under the weapon's barrel.

The splashscreen for The Ultimate Doom (A redux version of the original Doom that added nine new levels) shows the Doom Guy blasting away with a space gun while holding the Tootsie-Toy "Dakota" cap gun in his other hand. Although the subject of this image is a digital render of the game's box art, the shotgun was not originally present. Compared to the hand drawn elements, the shotgun is clearly a photograph, giving us the most uninterrupted in-game look at the weapon. However, it appears the trigger and trigger guard have been erased from the photo. The buttstock is also sawn off here, which is a carry-over from the Alpha versions (see below), although it could be excused in this particular shot as simply his leg obscuring the stock.

A Shotgun Guy in Doom II totes a generic pump-action shotgun of his own.

The shotgun from Doom 64 appears to be an entirely different weapon. A pumping animation for the weapon was not included due to the spatial limitations of Nintendo 64 cartridges, offering no further angles of the weapon in Doomguy's hands. Note the pickup sprite, which in this game is the same for both the Shotgun and Super Shotgun.

12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotgun

The only new weapon to appear in Doom II was the "Super Shotgun," a 12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotgun with sawed-off barrels that proved to be extremely popular in multiplayer circles. The weapon has since appeared in every Doom title since, save for Doom 3, which didn't introduce the weapon until its expansion pack Resurrection of Evil. The shotgun fires both barrels at the same time and is instantly reloaded upon doing so, making it the only weapon in the classic Doom game to do so up until Hacx introduced a reloading Uzi. A slightly more detailed looking sawed-off appears in Doom 64, although due to a lack of memory space on the game cartridge, the gun's lengthy reload animation was cut. It still makes the necessary sounds, however.

Stevens 1960s SBS with the barrels sawed-off - 12 gauge (Photoshopped)

The "Super Shotgun" as seen in the final level of Doom II: Icon of Sin. It's a pretty run-of-the-mill sawed-off double barreled shotgun, although its impact on gaming as a whole is not to be underestimated.

The Super Shotgun at the ready. The sprites were hand-drawn over the pump-action shotgun's sprites, making it the only usable weapon to not use digitized sprites outside of the hands.

The gun in recoil, showing off a rather large wood handguard. The reflections on the barrel are notably duller than on the pump shotgun, which was rather obviously made of plastic. Note that the hand visible is the left hand, reflecting the fact that this sprite is actually a re-drawing of the pumping sprite of the regular shotgun.

Doomguy reloads the shotgun, also with his left hand. For some reason, perhaps due to the angle of the barrels, the fact that Doomguy uses his left hand to put shells in has led some fans to think that this animation was mistakenly rendered with two left hands, calling Doomguy's biology into question. This confusion could also stem from the fact he fires the pistol with his left hand, whereas he seems to likely be using his right hand for the shotguns and Plasma Rifle.

The Doom 64 Super Shotgun, which has no reload animation thanks to the space limitations of the Nintendo 64 game cartridge.

Submachine Guns

Generic SMG

Doom Guy holds a futuristic SMG in some official artwork, but this weapon does not appear in the game itself. It is possibly a remnant of the early Alpha versions, where an SMG (albeit of a more traditional appearance) was originally used instead of the Chaingun below.

Doomguy firing a hand-drawn fictional SMG in one hand and holding a photographed toy shotgun in the other.

Rifles

Generic Rifle

Zombiemen enemies and the world graphics for the player character both carry a rather generic-looking rifle that looks to be something of a cross between an M16 and a USAS-12 shotgun. This is yet another remainder of Doom's alpha versions (see below), having been replaced by the Pistol in the final version of the game.

Our Hero holds the generic USAS-12/M16 rifle in the end game screen for Doom II.

Some Doomguy sprites, showing a good view of a rifle.

Machine Guns

Tootsie-Toy "Ol' Painless"

Found in Doom's second level, the "Chaingun" (which is actually a minigun) is a machine gun weapon that's useful for cutting through low level foes quickly. The graphics were photographed from a cap-firing toy minigun, a Tootsie-Toy "Ol' Painless", which appears to be partly inspired by the hand held M134 Minigun from Predator. Several other in-game assets are also based on this toy, including columns and floor lamps made out of its barrels. Interestingly, the in-game pickup sprite appears to be a box-fed minigun that is held like a conventional rifle as opposed to a belt-fed hip-fired weapon. Unlike the player, the Heavy Weapon Dude enemies in Doom II hold the gun with one hand and use their other arm to feed a backpack-mounted belt into the gun.

"Ol' Painless" Handheld M134 Minigun with M60 handguard, as seen in Predator - 7.62x51mm NATO

Tootsie-Toy Ol' Painless Gatling Gun. A spitting image, almost.

The Chaingun in E1M2 of Doom. Note what appears to be a box magazine under the receiver and the hint of a trigger guard under a really fat grip. The pickup sprite lacks a stock and has a single protruding barrel while the first-person graphic shows all of the barrels protruding past the last "ring".

The Chaingun/Minigun in the first-person.

The barrels in mid-rotation as the gun fires. Every click of the fire button will fire two rounds with pinpoint accuracy.

An apparent hint as to how the Chaingun operates presents itself in Doom II with the Heavy Weapons Dude enemy, who seems to tuck it under his arm.

Furthermore, the gun seems to be supported by a sling. Note how the zombie uses his other arm to feed in a belt rather than there being a box magazine.

The final boss of Doom, the Spider Mastermind, happens to have a massive minigun of their own mounted on a robotic chassis.

The Doom 64 minigun looks more like an M134 minigun in some respects than the original Chaingun, although all of the barrels now have vented shrouds...for some reason. Probably to look cool, actually.

Launchers

"Rocket Launcher"

As the name implies, the Rocket Launcher it is a powerful weapon that is effective over long distances but deadly for the user in close quarters. It appears to be entirely hand-drawn instead of being based on a physical prop.

The Rocket Launcher in-game.

The moment of rocket launch, which demonstrates some recoil. At the same time, a somewhat mysterious valve, which is possibly part of the weapon mechanism, opens at the top of the barrel.

The full first-person sprite, which is partially blocked by the HUD in-game. Large cooling holes in the barrel cover are also clearly visible here, providing visual interest above all else.

The launcher seen next to a Super Shotgun and Plasma Gun. Curiously, it bears some resemblance to the M47 Dragon (although it is impossible say for sure whether it was intentional, or simply just a coincidence), with both weapons shooting from the rear of the real launcher and possessing an RPG-style trigger group.

The player holds a rocket launcher while colliding with Cyberdemon in Doom 64. In general, the same thing, only with a slightly modified outlook.

Trivia

Weapons of the Doom Alpha Versions

Alpha versions of Doom used different graphics for weapons. Version 0.2 had the Dakota shotgun as the sole available weapon. In the 0.3 and 0.4 Alpha versions, instead of the usual fist, a rifle with a attached bayonet was used; instead of a pistol, the same rifle without the bayonet was used; the shotgun had an original unedited look, and instead of a Gatling-style chaingun it used another weapon, looking more like as SMG (vaguely resembling the Star Z-45). Alpha version 0.5 changed the graphics of the rifle and machine gun to new ones (but the others remained the same from 0.4, including the version of the rifle with a bayonet), giving them a more futuristic look (and the "machine gun" now really looks like a machine gun). The Press Release version finally changed all this to the weapons that everyone knows from the final version.

Another interesting detail is that the Alpha versions depicted a shotgun with a sawn-off buttstock (and in this form it can still be seen in the final version on some artwork), but later the original buttstock was reintroduced.

Some more info can be found here.

Weapon graphics of the 0.3/0.4 and 0.5 alpha versions. From left to right: melee attacks, the rifle, shotgun, and machine gun. Version 0.5 uses the 0.3/0.4 graphics for the bayonetted rifle and shotgun, so they are not shown due to redundancy. Another interesting detail is that the rifles and machine guns appear to have been drawn over the Dakota shotgun. The 0.5 machine gun also seems to have a UAC logo on the back.

Pickup sprites of weapons from the Alpha Versions. These are only the ones that got finished, as the rest remained at the sketch level. At the top are shotgun and machine gun (where its cooling cover and compensator on the barrel are clearly visible) pickups from the 0.4 Alpha. Below is the pickup for the rocket launcher from the 0.5 Alpha; despite the fact that the first-person graphics were highly unfinished (simply showing a rocket coming out of the left of the screen, and just reusing the shotgun's graphics in-game), this shows that the initial idea of ​​the Rocket Launcher was a revolving 4-barrel launcher, subsequently replaced by the usual single-barrel.